The year 1927 was coming to an end. The country of the Soviets was overcoming the devastation of the world and civil wars. The issue of the development of the national economy, primarily of heavy industry, was placed on the agenda. For this purpose, new deposits were needed; they had to be found quickly and economically. The newly emerged and developing geophysical methods of prospecting and exploration could alone help geologists solve this task. No higher educational institution in the Union was yet training specialists in these methods. It was at this time that a decision was made to open a geophysical specialization at the Leningrad Mining Institute. The decision was not accidental.